West Midlands Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

TRIDENT AND RELATED NEWS

September 2014

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has responded to a Freedom of Information request about plans for Trident if Scotland votes for independence. The FCO advises that it holds no relevant information but explains that the question of how Trident would be affected by Scottish independence cannot be answered now because it would depend on negotiations that could only take place if people in Scotland vote to leave the UK in September’s referendum. It gives a link to a report on Scottish independence and potential impacts on defence, including the UK’s nuclear deterrent. In addition, a link is given to the House of Commons Defence Committee and Scottish Affairs Committee reports

TAXPAYERS in Scotland will face a multi-billion pound bill to pay for a new generation of nuclear weapons if plans to renew Trident are backed, Veterans Minister Keith Brown has warned. The UK Government is due to make a decision about renewing the programme in 2016. The Scottish Government has set out plans to remove Trident from Scotland
if the country backs a Yes vote in the independence referendum.

News from BASIC (British-American Security Information Council)
BASIC has published the long-awaited Trident Commission report on Britain’s nuclear weapons policy. Our intention was to focus the debate, strip away the weaker, vague and dangerous arguments in favour of Trident renewal, and identify the core national security arguments that remain convincing to those close to the British government. We are now left with greater clarity on the grounds for debate: could Britain in future face alone a nuclear threat in which its nuclear weapons could effectively deter? How can Britain best contribute to creating the conditions for global nuclear disarmament?

The next general election (in May 2015) will be critical in deciding whether or not the UK commits to ending its reliance on nuclear weapons, and commits to negotiations on a global treaty to ban all nuclear armaments, worldwide. In March 2015, Action AWE are organising a month of nonviolent action at Aldermaston and Burghfield Atomic Weapons Establishments, where Britain builds and maintains its nuclear bombs. We’re hoping to see 31 actions in 31 days, and we want you to be a part of it!